China's Ren Ziwei claims men's 1,000m short track speedskating gold at Beijing 2022

Ren Ziwei of China celebrates after the men's 1000m final of short track speed skating at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's Ren Ziwei clinched his first individual gold medal in the men's 1,000-meter short track speed skating in one minute, 26.768 seconds at Beijing 2022 here on Monday.

It was China's second gold at the 2022 Games after their victory in the 2,000m short track speed skating mixed team relay.

Ren's compatriot Li Wenlong took the silver in 1:29.917, and Hungary's Shaoang Liu earned the bronze in 1:35.693.

The men's 1,000 final was restarted in the middle of the race to remove metal debris on the ice. Ren finished second in the restarted event, while Hungary's Shaolin Sandor Liu, who crossed the line first, was disqualified for two penalties in a single race.

Italy's short track legend Arianna Fontana triumphed in the women's 500m event in 42.488 to win her country's first gold medal at Beijing 2022.

World champion Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands took the early lead from Fontana, only to see the Italian bide her time and overtake on the inside going into the final lap. Canada's world record holder Kim Boutin, with a time of 42.724 seconds, took her second bronze over the distance after doing so in 2018.

"It's a 500 meters [race], not a lot of time, but there's still time to recover a mistake, so even though I didn't start first, I was able to just stay focused, speed up and attack at the right moment," said defending champion Fontana confidently.

This is Fontana's 10th Olympic medal. The five-time Olympian has two gold, three silver and five bronze medals, chiefly from the 500m and 3,000m relay events. 

Ren Ziwei of China (front) competes during the men's 1000m final of short track speed skating at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Xiong Qi)

Arianna Fontana (C) of Italy, Suzanne Schulting (L) of the Netherlands and Kim Boutin of Canada attend the flower ceremony after the women's 500m final of short track speed skating at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Arianna Fontana of Italy celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women's 500m final of short track speed skating at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)